The present invention relates to an information retrieval apparatus for retrieving information stored in an information storage medium.
Information retrieval apparatuses retrieve information--for example, image information--stored in an information storage medium, such as an optical disk. One side of the optical disk may be called, for example, a cabinet which can define a plurality, (for instance, eight) of binders (information groups). Each binder can store a plurality (e.g., 30,000) of files (storage regions), each of which constitutes a collection of image information. Each file is made up of one or more pages, a page being the minimum unit for image information stored in the optical disk.
To retrieve desired image information, using an image information retrieval apparatus, one of the binders of the optical disk is designated first, and then, the image information in the designated binder is retrieved. With this retrieval technique, however, when it is not known in which binder the desired image information is stored, the binders then have to be designated one by one until the desired image information is found. As a result, the retrieval operation can often take a considerable length of time.
As a solution to this problem, the so-called binder through retrieval method has been developed. Binder through retrieval is performed using a title structure which includes information such as a plurality of retrieval keys needed for image information retrieval and the length of each retrieval key. Such information is stored in advance in a management data memory--for example, a magnetic disk--for each binder. That is, binders with the same title structure are through-retrieved for the desired image information.
However, since this binder through retrieval technique enables retrieval of only those binders with the same defined title structure, a binder through retrieval cannot be executed properly if any item in the title structure, such as a retrieval key or the length of the key, differs between target binders.